The present application relates generally to the field of batteries, and to analyzers for determining battery parameters, such as battery life. More particularly, the invention relates to novel techniques for storing on or in a battery itself and accessing data that aids in such battery analysis, as well as in other functions involving the battery.
A wide range of batteries have been developed and are currently in use for applications such a vehicle starting and propulsion. In motor vehicle, for example, batteries may be coupled to starters and other electrical devices that assist in the initial cranking of the vehicle engine. Other batteries are used continuously or intermittently during propulsion of the vehicles. Current battery technologies include conventional wet cell batteries, glass mat batteries, metal ion batteries, to mention only a few. An increasing variety of such technologies are underdevelopment and will doubtless come into use in the future.
Both for new and aged batteries it is sometimes desirable to analyze their electrical performance parameters as well as specific capacities, such as amp-hours and estimated remaining life. Volts and amps available for output power are easily tested by conventional multi-meters. Life testing may require specific algorithms, typically programmed into a battery analyzer. The analyzer can be coupled to terminals of the battery, and the algorithm run to provide an indication of the remaining battery life, typically presented as a percentage. One drawback with conventional battery analyzers is the possibility that certain information regarding the battery may be input wrongly. With wrong input values, the algorithm utilized by the analyzer may make erroneous calculations or assumptions, resulting in an erroneous estimation of the battery life. Similarly, certain information that can be stored on batteries to facilitate this process may be altered or subject to alteration (making it questionable, or accessed in a manner that is detrimental to either the analysis or to other functions of the data. While certain improvements have been proposed in the art, these are still not without drawbacks, particularly insomuch as the data may still be wrongly interpreted or wrongly accessed. There is a need, therefore, for improvement in such systems.